


You’re Not Where You Think

by StaticWitch



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast), the adventure zone
Genre: Angst, Bounty, Claustrophobia, Claustrophobic Lup, Cuddles, Fluff, Illusions, Liches, PTSD, Post-Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, Reaper Squad, Spoilers, Spoilers for Episode: e067-069 Story and Song Parts 1-3, Story and Song, TAZ Balance, The Adventure Zone Balance Spoilers, blupjeans, hurt comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 03:49:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17195960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StaticWitch/pseuds/StaticWitch
Summary: Lup deals with some issues when a trap is set. It goes as well as you’d expect.





	1. Chapter 1

“Ko...it’s dark.” Lup’s voice croaked out in uneven shaken breaths. His stone of Farspeech glowed a bright crimson with every word. Taako felt a sense of unease twist in his stomach as he spoke softly and sweetly. 

“Is Krav with you? Where’s Barold? Lulu, I need you to talk to me, honey.” He frowned, only hearing a choked sob escape in reply. 

——

A few weeks prior, a party had been held for the seven to celebrate the defeat of the hunger and, well, saving the goddamn world! Festivities were held in an extremely large place, needless to say, everyone was in awe at the decorations and dedication this place put in for the party.

Dark, velvet curtains lined the walls, parted to let light in from the windows; other areas were completely covered and dark. Small shimmers showed themselves here and there. However, it made Lup’s fingers twitch with unease.

“ _The Umbra Staff... You’re not back inside your own creation. You’re with Taako and your family. You’re alive. You’re safe._ ” Lup tried to mentally reassure herself, taking Barry’s hand in her own and giving a tighter squeeze than what she intended.

His soft, chestnut eyes directed themselves over to Lup, she looked gorgeous like always. Her hair was back in a neat updo, a dark burgundy dress accentuating her curves in all the right spots, a small shawl draped over the creases of her arms for that extra bit of detail with a few gold bracelets. He loved her, gods he loved everything about her. She knew he did, and he wanted to remind her daily with that, he had a ring stored away just..waiting for the right moment.

Right now, her beautiful face was contorted into a nervous expression. He tried not to think too far into it, giving her hand a squeeze back. “How about, uh, how about I go get us some drinks?”

His words sounded so distant to her, however, Lup nodded and smiled regardless of the twisting unease she had felt. When Barry had let go of her hand, which she regretted immediately, she glanced to the nearest person in the room which, thankfully, was her brother. Slinging her arm over his shoulders she grinned, putting on a facade. She truly felt happy about this whole party, but the vibe just wasn’t there for her and Taako could sure as hell feel that. He knew better not to push his sister for information though.

She felt eyes on her as if someone could see straight through her to her core. There were few that could really do that, and it sometimes made Lup, needless to say, less confident in her abilities to hide. 

It was Kravitz, good ol’ ghost rider could see straight through her mask of confidence and excitement. Lup felt her heart clench with anxiety as she snorted nudging her brother.

“Dude this place is cool as shit, like? Damn, their decor is pretty sweet, kinda reminds me of the times grandpa threw a party.” She motioned around at the hustle and bustle of family and friends, bright eyes glancing to Kravitz to see if he was still studying her over. Thankfully he wasn’t, he was sipping a drink Taako had given him to try a smile on his face as he laughed faintly. 

“Dove, it’s sweet like most drinks you give me, it’s lovely though.” Kravitz complimented as Lup felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder, causing her to jolt. Barry held two champagne glasses weaved between his fingers on his left hand, his right on his girlfriend's shoulder, thumb massaging soft circles against the bare skin.

“Here Lup. They didn’t really have anything else than this or what Taako has so I went with this.” He smiled, holding out a glass to Lup who hurriedly took it and pressed it to her lips. Smiling lightly she took a sip before thanking Barry along with a kiss pressed to his cheek. It was only seven in the evening, the party had long to go. But how long could she hold out? As the night continued, the faint roar of thunder was heard, causing the twins ears to twitch in response. Lup held the empty glass to her lips taking a breath as she idly pressed it there leaning against Barry.

“Babe?” He questioned only to receive silence as an answer. Concern crossed his features as he took her hand in his, pressing a light kiss to her hair mumbling.

“Lup it’s alright, you're with us...breathe.” He tried to reassure her, causing her to snap from whatever trance she had lulled herself in. 

She used to love the dark, the sound of water hitting the cold concrete. Now? It just brought back memories that she wished she could shake off. That’s all they were

Little

Memories

That she should shake off.

She had her family with her, her heart was with her and he was safe. They all were, she was the strong one...but why did she feel so weak?


	2. A Bird in the Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trap has been set, a bounty escaped.

The party was a few weeks over and done with, the town still hustling and bustling with the talk of how the Seven Birds saved the world. Stories of each person had traveled around, word of mouth seemed to be a powerful thing. The seven of them lived in their own respective homes however, they were all in close proximity the biggest distance was probably a ten to fifteen-minute walk at most for the family.

Taako had a home with Kravitz, a five-minute walk from Lup and Barry. Magnus had taken Angus under his wing and the two of them live together down the road from Merle and Davenport. Lucretia’s home was smack in the middle of the five other homes. Sometimes when nights were rough, the group would find themselves all together in her living room like they used to do on the Starblaster. Dogpile atop of each other, tell stories and fall asleep within minutes of hearing the comfort of each other's voices and stupid exhausted giggles.

Making a cup of coffee, Lup held the pot over the mug focused on putting the right amount of coffee into the mug to balance the creamer and sugar out the rest of the way. When thunder loudly cracked outside, the elf fumbled almost dropping the coffee pot her ears straight up. Barry glanced over from the table, eyes now focused on his girlfriend with a flash of concern.

“You alright, Lup?” That was a dumb fucking question, however, it was better to ask rather than just getting over to give a hand sometimes. Lup gave a quick:

“Fine, babe. Just didn’t expect it,” as she set down the coffee pot to grab a towel to clean up the extra that spilled. Frustration was clear on her face, however, it seemed to quickly fade when she shook her head. 

“Hey, nerd, how much creamer?” She asked looking over at Barry who could only help but snort in response, getting up. Walking over he pressed a soft kiss to the crook of Lup’s neck causing her to shudder as he hummed

“Not too much. You're sweet enough, babe.” He mused, causing Lup’s cheeks to flush just slightly. “Don’t forget we have a bounty with Kravitz today.” He reminded as Lup nodded in acknowledgment. 

——

They were out, the sun was shining the grass was coated with fresh morning dew and it smelled like it would rain eventually. Clouds gathered in the distance as Lup turned to the other two in their group of three.

“There are three of these chucklefucks, so should we split and snatch them?” She suggested as Barry shrugged a bit. He wasn’t big on splitting up, however, it seemed like a good option given the circumstances.

“Alright, if anything happens, alert the other. Meet back when you're done...be safe.” Kravitz instructed after giving the low down on the bounties. Lup however, was caught with the trickster of that bounty set, as she searched she heard an echo of laughter over and over around her. Gripping her scythe, she huffed annoyance pricking at her.

There!

She caught sight of the bounty and swung. However, it was a cheap illusion trick that she had regrettably walked into. The ground beneath her caved as Lup dropped down into a trap, the hole deep enough that the sun was barely even seen. It was covered quickly leaving Lup encased in nothing but total darkness. She felt her stomach twist, a lump in her throat rising as Lup glanced around uneasy. Fuck, she felt nauseous. Were...were the walls closing in? She sucked in a deep breath, ears lowering to flatten themselves against her head as Lup shakily stepped back trying to ground herself in the middle the best she could. After moments, she was shaking like a leaf, eyes faintly glowing in the pitch blackness as even her darkvision wasn’t much help here.

She scrambled for her stone, falling to her knees Lup clutched it close to her. She tried both Barry and Kravitz’s frequencies, however, they were normally turned off when on a bounty. Panic was setting in, a choked noise escaping Lup’s lips as she dialed the next best person. _Her heart_. 

“Yo! Lulu, aren’t you like on a bounty with the nerd and bone daddy? What’s the happ’s?” Her twin questioned, only to receive Lup’s quick breathing and choked out sounds.

“Ko...it’s dark.” Lup’s voice croaked out in uneven shaken breaths. His stone of Farspeech glowed a bright crimson with every word. Taako felt a sense of unease twist in his stomach as he spoke softly and sweetly.

“Is Krav with you? Where’s Barold? Lulu, I need you to talk to me, honey.” He frowned, only hearing a choked sob escape in reply. He turned the oven off tossing the towel off his shoulder. “Babe breathe, talk to me Lu-“

She didn’t hear what he had been saying, however, not correctly that is. Instead of the bright hue that the stone would normally emit, it gave a dimmer light almost like a dying ember to a fire. The words twisted themselves echoing around her.

She couldn’t hear her brother's reassuring voice, the safety net that he was to always help her. Lup trembled, listening, tears welling up as they slipped down her flushed cheeks.

“Lulu they won’t be able to find you in there, you’re _trapped_. It’s impossible to find you..they won't remember.” And that solidified her fear and panic. Tossing her stone as hard as she could, Lup could still see the flicker from a distance. Taako, however, was in pure worry and panic at this point. His other half, his own heart was in danger! He didn’t exactly know where she was, so he tried his damnedest to get ahold of Kravitz. Taako was horrified for his sister, what in the absolute sweet hell was happening?

She hugged herself tightly, shaking, Lup tried to steady herself. Tears streaked her face, hair obscuring her vision just slightly her throat feeling raw and sore from screaming her heart out. She was cold, so cold. Everything was closing in on her and they wouldn’t find her in this dark inescapable hellscape.

——

Their bounties were caught, sent to the Astral plane to be at the hands of the Raven Queen and the Eternal Stockade. Barry glanced around, not seeing Lup anywhere. There was no signal or call on his stone from her but...there were six from Taako? Cocking a brow, Barry called back only to receive voicemail. Confusion and worry struck the lover as he looked to Kravitz.

“Krav..I’ve got a bad-“

“Feeling? As do I. Let’s go looking.” He frowned, already walking off to a direction. Trying to call her stone gave no help, Kravitz heaved a sigh, hearing Barry shout for Lup in the far distance before he, himself, joined in. It felt like hours, and sadly? It was, until he finally caught sight of her. Dialing Barry quickly, Kravitz shut his stone back off not even realizing all the calls Taako had sent him.

Lup had been trapped in an illusion spell, much like how Lucretia once did to Taako and the group, right before they discovered Junior. She was sitting with her knees to her chest, hair and body damp from both the cold and her sobbing. Dirt covered Lup’s clothing, her eyes puffy from crying. But..they were glowing? Kravitz frowned and hurried over, calling out to Lup who barely even budged. When Barry had caught up, his breathing quick and short, he frowned examining Lup over before casting dispel magic. The dark world around her faded, it was about sunset and she was freezing but that didn’t matter. She was still in a panic, just silent.

When Lup felt a hand gently touch her shoulder she jerked into action, eyes wide her own hand gripping...Kravitz’s? Wrist tightly. He was so thankful he couldn’t feel it because fuck that would've hurt. Looking the woman over, he frowned, voice hushed.

“Are you hurt? Lup, speak to us, you got thrown into a trap by your bounty.” He sighed. “We caught the other two, but please take a deep breath you’re safe.” Kravitz spoke, and her brain was trying it’s damndest to register what the fresh hell was happening. Letting him go quickly, Lup stumbled to her feet, voice hoarse.

“I’m fine, let’s dip.”

“Lup.” Kravitz urged, which in fact wasn’t the smartest choice. Lup whipped around, eyes burning with anger and fear.

“I-I let the fucker get away! I fell into a hole in the ground an-”

“Babe...there’s no hole. You got caught in a magic-based trap that was all illusionary.” Barry tried to reason as he stepped forward, gently easing his hand to Lup’s shoulder, his gaze softening with worry. She was ice unlike her normal warm bodied self, she was still trembling and that made his heart _ache_. “Let’s...yeah. Let’s head back and get you dried up and warm. We can explain this to the Raven Queen later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, this was a bit of a hard spot to write??? I wanted to make it dramatic but also interesting. Critiques are appreciated ❤️


	3. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz and Lup take a moment to talk, Barry and Taako join later.

Thankfully the Raven Queen wasn’t upset with Kravitz’s report. She did say, however, that she would like to have a word with Lup in private at some point.

Lup, on the other hand, was angry with herself though she knew she shouldn’t be. Life had its mess ups, but she would still beat herself up over this. She could have kicked bounty ass if she didn’t slip into a trap! Pacing her room in frustration, flames sparked from her fingertips as she paced. When Kravitz announced himself, she looked over brows creasing.

“She was angry. Wasn’t she?” She sighed looking at Kravitz, surprised when he shook his head. Lup’s ears perked slightly as she slumped down and back into the bean bag chair that resided next to her bed. A soft twump, was heard when she made contact, motioning for Kravitz to sit with her, hell it was big enough.

“She does want to have a word with you, though.” A smile graced his face as she threw her head back with a groan, dramatically waving her arms.

“Fannnnnnntastic.” Lup chuckle-whined before sighing. “Hey, serious note though? Thank you..for, uh, saving my ass back there. Don’t know how long I’d be stuck out there if It weren’t for you and Barold finding me.” Lup’s hands mindlessly gripped the fabric of her jeans tight enough that she was white knuckled. When she felt a hand lightly pull her own from the fabric Lup looked at Kravitz who was giving her a small eye roll. Rewarding that with a light shoulder punch, her ears twitched as she settled back leaning slightly on Kravitz.

“You are a great reaper you know, all jokes and well, fuck ups aside.” He shrugged getting comfortable himself before shaking his head. “I've had my share of mess ups trust me.” He hummed, that statement made Lup perk up and snort.

“No shit. I can’t even picture you messing up a simple grab-and-go are you serious?”

“Yeah.” He laughed lightly rubbing his neck a bit before hearing footsteps pad down the hallway and stop. When Barry had poked his head in he cocked a brow.

“What?? Babe..? A cuddle pile with Krav but not me? Yeesh.” Barry snorted, a smile creasing onto his face as Lup immediately reached her arms out for him. Stretching enough that she was able to swing her legs over Kravitz and drape herself lightly against Barry was the most comfortable fuckin’ thing she ever thought and decided to do. The three of them talked for what seemed like hours. Eventually, exhaustion slammed itself into Lup like a freight train, and she eased further against the two as her eyes fell heavy. Elves technically didn’t need sleep (neither did Kravitz), but when exhaustion would hit you bet Lup would take that over meditating.

Taako had been looking for Kravitz for what felt like hours, he needed to know exactly what in the fuck happened out on that mission since Lup hadn’t told him yet.

“Lu? Did you wanna talk about-” He paused staring at the tangled mess of his sister, her boyfriend and his boyfriend all knocked out on a beanbag. Taako couldn’t help but shake his head and stifle a laugh. “Fuck yes this is going on my fantasy-gram.” He hummed snapping a photo to keep for the future. Slipping himself into the tangled pile, he draped his arms across Kravitz, one hand gently intertwining with his sister’s as he slipped into a relaxed state. Feeling Kravitz shift under him to further get comfortable was nice, especially when they were all settled. It reminded him of the starblaster days when everyone would dogpile and pass out.

Lup barely stirred as she relaxed against the three others, her hand subconsciously holding her brother’s as she let out a low contented hum. She didn’t sleep often, she hated tight dark spaces but...she was safe. She wasn’t in her creation again and her family, both new and always been there. She couldn’t have been more greatful if she was brutually honest. Lup knew Taako would ask later, just to be safe, and she would tell him every bit. That was the deal between the twins, never hold a secret from each other, and that stuck with them even after a decade of forgotten family.

But for now, Lup could rest. She could just rest, knowing she was truly, honestly safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A whole fic in one night, I hope y’all enjoy! I have so many Lup headcanons but this one sticks out to me the most and I really wanted to write something to go with it. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are appreciated as wel as Constructive criticism ✨

**Author's Note:**

> I have the headcanon that after being stuck within the Umbra Staff for a decade Lup had become claustrophobic. She has a bit of ptsd and I wanted to write what could possibly happen when a bounty mission goes wrong? How could or would she react in a tense situation such as this. It’s three am currently and I busted this out, Comments are appreciated ✨


End file.
